This invention relates to mounts for buoys and assemblies including a mount and buoy.
The invention is more particularly concerned with mounting brackets for radio beacon buoys, which allow the buoys to float free when submerged beneath water.
Emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) are now carried by many marine vessels. The EPIRB is designed to float as a buoy and, when activated, to transmit radio signals to a satellite to enable the location of the buoy to be determined. The EPIRB may be carried loose on the vessel and manually activated in an emergency. Alternatively, the EPIRB may be mounted in a bracket, which releases the beacon automatically when the vessel sinks so that the EPIRB can float to the surface of the sea. The latter arrangement is preferable since it does not rely on the crew of the vessel having to find and activate the EPIRB.
In order to ensure that the EPIRB floats free of the vessel, it is important that the mounting bracket does not impede release of the buoy in any attitude of the vessel. The EPIRB and mounting bracket are mounted on the outside of the vessel where they are exposed to the weather but must be capable of withstanding these adverse conditions and performing reliably. The EPIRB must be retained securely in the mounting bracket but it is preferable that the buoy can be released readily for servicing when necessary.